Seeds of Persecution – Part 3

Atheists’ ad blitz calls Christmas a myth: “A billboard scheduled to be displayed near the New Jersey entrance to the tunnel until the end of the holidays shows a silhouetted manger scene with the message, ‘You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate REASON.’…

“’If the religious right wants a war on Christmas, this is what they’re going to get,’ he said…. The campaign is one of several atheist media blitzes scheduled this holiday season. It joins a $200,000 national television, newspaper and magazine advertising campaign sponsored by the American Humanist Association and the Stiefel Freethought Foundation meant to challenge biblical morality and fundamentalist Christianity.

“Those ads juxtapose passages from religious texts selected because they appear to advocate for ‘fear, hatred and intolerance,’ with quotations from humanist scholars that promote ‘love, equality, peace, freedom and reason.’… The $20,000 campaign, sponsored by a national organization called American Atheists, is timed to preempt annual accusations that liberal groups are waging war on Christmas….

“The American Humanist Association sponsored a 48-foot sign erected on the New Jersey Turnpike in 2008 that read, ‘Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.'”

“…you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”Matthew 24:9

Austria: Judge Rules That Yodeling Offends Muslims: “An Austrian court has recently fined a citizen for yodeling while mowing his lawn…. The citizen, 63-year-old Helmut G., was told by the court thathis yodeling offended his next-door Muslim neighbors…. Developed in the Central Alps as a method of communication between alpine mountaineers or between alpine villages, the yodel later became part of the region’s traditional lore and musical expression….

“Unfortunately for Helmut G., his neighbors were in the middle of a prayer when he started to yodel…. Helmut G. clarified that ‘It was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood.’”

Secularists Assault on Christmas and Christianity: “One of the most effective ways to overturn a culture is not to take it on directly, but to undermine it gradually….For the past half century, there has been a slow but unrelenting attack on the Christian foundations of the United States. First, secularists took prayer out of the public schools, because it ‘promoted religion and alienated non-believing children.’ …Then they wanted the study of the Bible taken out of schools, because that ‘promoted Christianity….

“…public monuments listing the 10 Commandments had to go, too, because displaying the moral foundation of Western lawsomehow endorsed Judeo-Christian religion…..Every year, there are fewer nativity scenes on display.” SeeThe Nature and Tactics of Satan

Biblical images restored at bank: “An Oklahoma bank on Friday restored religious images, including a Bible verse on its website, and announced a Federal Reserve Bank ruling that barred their display had been resolved….Earlier Friday, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and Rep. Frank Lucas released a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stating the demand that the images be removed appeared to be without precedent and unconstitutional. “Mr. Chairman, in our years of public service we have seldom encountered a more alarming case of heavy-handed interpretation and enforcement of federal regulations to the exclusion of any other consideration or law, including the Supreme Law of the Land,” the two Oklahoma Republicans stated.” See next link:

Feds Force Bank to Remove Crosses, Bible Verses, and Christmas Buttons: “Federal Reserve examiners come every four years to make sure banks are complying with a long list of regulations. The examiners came to Perkins [the town] last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say ‘Merry Christmas, God With Us’ were inappropriate…. [The] symbols violated the discouragement clause of Regulation B of the bank regulations. According to the clause, ‘…the use of words, symbols, models and other forms of communication …express, imply or suggest a discriminatory preference or policy of exclusion.’ The feds interpret that to mean, for example, a Jew or Muslin or atheist may be offended and believe they may be discriminated against at this bank.” SeePreparing for Persecution

University: Demands student get re-educated, attend ‘pride’ event: “Augusta State University graduate student Jen Keeton alleges school officials demand she be re-educated in morality, giving her the choice of giving up her Christian beliefs on homosexuality or being expelled from the school’s counseling program….Faculty members, therefore, had demanded Keeton ‘attend at least three workshops …which emphasize …diversity training sensitive toward working with GLBTQ populations.'” See Don’t conform to the ways of the world

Courageous Christian Student Confronts Teacher’s…Homosexual Agenda: “Daniel Glowacki, a 16-year-old junior at Howell High School in Howell, Michigan, has unexpectedly found himself at the center of a national firestorm and the target of homosexual activists across the country…. It came about when he defended another student’s free speech rights, and when confronted by his pro-homosexual teacher, Daniel ended up defending his Catholic faith that considers homosexual conduct a sin…

“Daniel’s economics class teacher, Jay McDowell, wore a purple ‘Tyler’s Army’… t-shirt as part of a national campaign to highlight the alleged ‘bullying’ of homosexuals….Ironically, McDowell ended up ‘bullying’ his own student who dared to defend his Christian beliefs about homosexuality….The outraged teacher angrily threw Daniel out of his classroom…. [Apparently] McDowell told them, ‘If the student was Catholic, he’d be or should be in Catholic school’ and followed him into the hall yelling he was a racist…

“Predictably, homosexual activists across the country are hailing McDowell as a hero and vilifying Daniel and his family, describing them as ‘bigots’ and referring to Daniel’s religious objection to the homosexual agenda as ‘hate speech’. McDowell is head of the school district’s teachers union…”

Mob rule on campus: “If a mob disrupted a pro-choice speaker at a Canadian university, chances are the protesters would be removed. If a mob disrupted a pro-life speaker at a Canadian university, chances are the speech would be cancelled. One kind of speech is free in Canada; another kind isn’t. Speech broadly characterized as ‘left-wing’ a.k.a. ‘progressive’–e. g., pro-choice, anti-Israeli, anti-capitalist — is protected even at its extreme. Speech broadly characterized as ‘right-wing’ a.k.a. ‘reactionary’ — pro-life, pro-Western, pro-Israel–isn’t protected…”

Charge for seeking Christian roommate dismissed: “A single woman cited for unfair discrimination by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights for posting a note on her church bulletin board that sought a ‘Christian roommate’ has had her case dismissed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development….The woman, 31-year-old nursing student Tricia Rowe, was alleged to have violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against people of other faiths…..

“This complaint should have never been brought…It is borderline frivolous to suggest that a single lady can be fined by the government simply for seeking a Christian female roommate to share her 900-square-foot house.’…The complaint alleged the woman’s statement, I am looking for a Christian roommate, prevents people of other faithsfrom contacting the woman and making arrangements to share her home with her.”

‘ACLU-crafted court order criminalizes Christianity’: “…teachers are always considered to be acting in their ‘official capacity’ whenever a student is present, even at private functions off campus.Teachers cannot pray, bow their heads, or fold their hands to show agreement with anyone who does pray. Teachers and staff cannot ‘Reply’ to an e-mail sent by a parent if the parent’s e-mail refers to God or Scripture. Teachers either have to delete such references from the original e-mail or reply by initiating a new e-mail. Teachers and staff are also required to stop students from prayingin their own private club meetings.” See Spiritual Warfare

Christians in Captivity: “So you can freely offend ‘people of faith’ — but only people of faith. Offending anybody else is hate speech….

” New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Palladino recently touched off a firestorm by saying he wouldn’t take children to a ‘gay pride’ parade. It has become controversial not to expose children to a lot of semi-nude men…. But the thought police declared the remarks ‘controversial’ and ‘hateful,’ and Palladino immediately backed off….

“…the expression ‘people of faith’ is not quite honest. If your ‘art’ abused Buddha, or the Hindu pantheon… you would be smeared all over the country as a ‘hater’…. Our civil government, courts, media, schools and universities, and major corporations — we surrendered them all to the enemies of Christ our King.” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Four Christian missionaries acquited of inciting Dearborn Michigan Muslims: “Friday, four Christian missionaries were acquitted of breach of peace while proselytizing Muslims at [Michigan’s] Dearborn Arab International Festival in June…. At issue has been the right to freedom of speech and religion. The four missionaries…were arrested in June on charges of disorderly conduct. They have claimed the First Amendment guarantees their right to speak freely in public.

“Opponents of the group contend that speech is not protected if it is likely to incite violence….

“Significantly, the missionaries made sure they onlytalked to people who came up to them and engaged them in conversation. That undermined the case for incitement.” See Mission to the world around us

Christian missionaries will stand trial in Dearborn[Michigan]: “The four Christian missionaries arrested for disorderly conduct for preaching to a predominately Muslim crowd at the Dearborn International Arab Festival in June will stand trial after the judge refused to grant a motion filed by defense attorneys to dismiss the case.”

But it doesn’t make sense! Here is a report on what actually happened:

Allahu Akbar!’ shouted as Christians handcuffed: “Four Christians were arrested and thrown out of a public Arab festival in Michigan… for doing nothing more than engaging in peaceful dialogue and videotaping the event. Nabeel Qureshi, David Wood, Paul Rezkalla and 18-year-old Negeen Mayel attended the 15th annual Dearborn Arab International Festival on June 18 in Dearborn, Mich., where an estimated 30,000 of the city’s 98,000 residents are Muslim…. The American Arab Chamber of Commerce announced the event was expected to draw ‘over 300,000 people…. In the following video…Qureshi said his group took ‘extra precautions’ to prevent disruptions by not handing out pamphlets and to speak only to people ‘who first approached us.'”See God’s Warnings for our Times

Conservative recruiters frog-marched off campus: “The group, founded in 1960 to represent conservatives on college and university campuses, has been working to establish additional college campus chapters…. The members set up a table on the Palm Beach campus in Lake Worth Tuesday during ‘club rush’ after Beattie received verbal permission….

“But campus officials then ‘approached the group and after seeing information about the organization and its ideals criticizing Barack Obama’s economic policy.’.. The officials called campus police to make sure the group was removed from the campus….’She outright denied giving me permission… simply because she disagreed with my beliefs,’ said Beattie.”

Christian College’s Police Force Ruled Unconstitutional: “Christian Colleges cannot have security police to enforce state law because its a violation of ‘Separation of Church & State.’… Davidson College, a small private Presbyterian school in North Carolina, can’t have police officers with the power to arrest suspects and enforce state law – because of its religious affiliation…” SeeBan truth – Reap Tyranny

[Dutch] Christians on the defensive: “I’f it’d said ‘Allah Akbar’, the council wouldn’t have dared to try and remove it,’ says Marianne Bons…. She’s talking about a farm roof on which ‘Jesus saves’ is painted in enormous letters. The council says the text has to go. The farm’s owner, evangelical Christian Joop van Ooijen, is refusing to obey….

“‘You’re allowed to believe in anything in this country, as long as it’s nothing to do with Christians or the Church,’ says Ms Bos, describing the prevailing Dutch attitude to religion.” S

Christianity not accepted here: “Expelled for being Christian. That’s the fate of two college graduate school students at separate universities…. Julea Ward lost her lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University July 26. …she was dismissed from a counseling program in March, 2009, for not affirming homosexual behavior as morally acceptable….

“…at Augusta State University…Jennifer Keeton was told her Christian beliefs are unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession. She must stop sharing her beliefs with others and change her beliefs if she’s to graduate from the program, the school has told her.”

Shopping mall’s speech restrictions torpedoed: “…the case arose after a Matthew Snatchko was arrested at the Roseville Galleria Mall in 2007 for striking up a casual conversation with other shoppers about faith…. Pacific Justice said that under the mall’s rules, shoppers are not allowed to engage in conversations about potentially controversial topics such as religion or politics unless they already know the person they are talking to. Another mall rule bans the wearing of any clothing with religious or political messages. The new ruling from the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento struck down the mall rules as unconstitutionally vague and restrictive of free speech.”

July 2010

“Godbloc filter: “GodBlock is a web filter that blocks religious content. It is targeted at parents and schools who wish to protect their kids from the often violent, sexual, and psychologically harmful material in many holy texts, and from being indoctrinated into any religion before they are of the age to make such decisions. …GodBlock will test each page that your child visits before it is loaded, looking for passages from holy texts, names of religious figures, and other signs of religious propaganda. If none are found, then your child is allowed to browse freely.

“Why? In the last century, the United States has seen a resurgence of fundamentalist religion. Fundamentalist Evangelicals, Mormons, Baptists, Muslims, and Jews have held back progress in science, human rights, civil rights, and protecting our environment. How can we reverse this trend and join the rest of the world in the gradual secularization of society and government?

“Most deeply religious people are born into their religion, but even children raised in a secular household are vulnerable to content on the web. That’s why we’ve produced GodBlock.”

Kids can’t pray at U.S. Supreme Court: “A Christian private-school teacher is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow constitutionally protected prayer outside the court building after her class was ‘abruptly’ ordered to stop praying on the grounds….’Even though they were not obstructing traffic, not demonstrating, and praying quietly in a conversational tone so as to not attract attention, a court police officer approached the group and told them to stop praying in that public area immediately,’ ADF reported. ‘The prayer was stopped based on a statute, 40 U.S.C. §6135, which bars parades and processions on Supreme Court grounds.’…

“Mrs. Rigo was not engaging in a parade, procession or assembly. She was speaking in a conversational level to those around her with her head bowed.’… The group noted that the prayers are akin to routine conversations that take place during Supreme Court tours every day….’The last place you’d expect this kind of obvious disregard for the First Amendment would be on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court itself…'” See Our Freedom in Christ

June 2010

Supreme Court rules against Christian group that bars gays: “A university can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that bars gays and nonbelievers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a case that pitted anti-discrimination principles against religious freedom…. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.”

The World’s Oldest Collective Hatred[by Jan Markel]: “For someone to tell a Jew in Israel to ‘go home’… makes no sense because they are home. They may have passed through Germany or Poland, or Russia as my grandparents did, but the Bible reveals that Israel is their home. Of all earth’s inhabitants, only the Jews have a deed to a piece of land from God as recorded in the Bible. But then not even most church members even know that, let alone the monsters of the world. The destiny of the Jew is to be eternally unsafe around the world. The day is coming when friends of Israel will also feel uneasy and unsafe.”

Seven Reasons Why Israel Will Never Get a Fair Shake: “‘Never again.’ It’s what the world said after the Holocaust. Fast forward sixty five years and the only thing standing between seven million Jews in Israel and a 2nd Holocaust is their ability to fight for their own survival…. No matter how grave the provocation or how clearly Israel is in the right, the world’s judgment is always against Israel. Why?”

Illinois abortion clinic takes another shot at Christian pro-lifers: “In the past, the workers have displayed rubber chickens hanging from nooses, a nun in a coffin, and other taunting posters with hateful messages….But Kevin Rilott… notes that the clinic’s new ‘decoration’ reaches another level of hate for pro-life views…. The latest method… is a picture of Jesus making an obscene gesture with words at the bottom that read: ‘Even Jesus hates you.’ …The pro-life advocate adds that a couple of the clinic operators whom his group has gotten to know make it clear that they despise everything about Christianity.” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny

May 2010

Gay couple to sue over B&B snub by Christian owners: [UK] “A gay couple who were turned away by a Christian bed and breakfast owner because it was ‘against her convictions’ to let them share a double bed are suing her for damages. …Mr Black, 62, and Mr Morgan, 56, reported Mrs Wilkinson to police for refusing them a room. They said she was breaching discrimination laws and that they were horrified by the former air hostess’s ‘outdated and abhorrent views’. But Mrs Wilkinson and her husband Francis, a former city worker, insisted they were simply living according to their values and Christian beliefs.”‘

College backtracks on discipline for prayer: “A lawsuit against a California college that threatened to suspend a student caught offering a prayer for a sick teacher – and another student who happened to be nearby – has been settled…. The case against the College of Alameda was brought after the school threatened the students [Kandy Kyriacou and Ojoma Omaga] with expulsion after Kyriacou was spotted by another faculty member praying with the teacher. Omaga’s offense apparently to accompany Kyriacou to the teacher’s office and be nearby at the time….

“The incident developed in December 2007 when an instructor at the college complained about a private, consensual prayer in a shared faculty office between a student and a sick teacher. The institution issued formal notices of intent to suspend both the student and a bystander, held disciplinary hearings and imposed written warnings.”

Church warned that flag of Jesus is ‘religious advertising’: [UK] “Rev Mark Binney, vicar of St Andrew’s Church, Hampton, Worcs, said he had been told he needed planning permission if he wanted to fly a flag ‘advertising Christianity’ in future. The flag was put up outside the church in the week preceding Easter Sunday displaying the words ‘This is Holy Week’ and an image of Jesus on the cross.”

Franklin Graham Uninvited to Pentagon Prayer Service: “Rev. Franklin Graham has been uninvited to the Pentagon prayer service because of his true and biblical statements about Islam. Two points: 1. The US military is increasingly going on record as hostile to historic Christianity. They want an American civil religion that passes politically correct muster. That civil religion would include most of the other religions of the world…except Christianity. Not surprisingly, an Islamic cleric, known for his anti-Christian hate speech, is attending the Pentagon prayer service in good standing with our military. 2. The outrageous double standard aside, Franklin Graham should take it as a compliment that he was uninvited to the American pantheon of idols to offer up a prayer along with the pagans.” See Unity in an Anti-Christian World

Pluralism & Global Spirituality.Army withdraws Franklin Graham Pentagon prayer day invitation: “In a 2001 op-ed piece, Graham wrote that he does not believe Muslims are evil, but he objects to the treatment of women in Muslim countries and Islam’s historic ‘persecution or elimination’ of other religions…. ‘I speak out for people that live under Islam, that are enslaved by Islam and I want them to know they can be free through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.’

“Council on American Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said it is ‘“completely inappropriate’ for Graham to speak in front of a military audience….

“An Army spokesman told the Associated Press the Pentagon’s relationship with the Christian group does not violate Defense Department rules. We are an all-inclusive military,’ said Col. Tim Collins. ‘We hold observances throughout the year. This one happens to be a Christian-themed event.’” See Tony Blair’s Interfaith Foundation

Federal judge strikes down National Day of Prayer (ten days old): “U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb issued the decision in a case filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based atheist and agnostic group that challenged the constitutionality of a 1988 federal law….’It goes beyond mere ‘acknowledgment’ of religion,’ Crabb wrote, ‘because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context.'” Is that the new legal standard? God’s Warnings for our Times

Tea Party infiltrators to wear Nazi uniforms? “The man who threatened to crash tea parties with protesters wearing Nazi uniforms, carrying misspelled signs and making wild claims on TV, is an Oregon middle-school teacher who may have been working on his tea-party infiltration effort during school time, according to reports. Some tea partiers claim Jason Levin, a teacher at Conestoga Middle School in Beaverton, Ore., has been working on his ‘Crash the Tea Party’ website when he should have been teaching.”

State poised to punish free speech at schools — Children with traditional values may get ‘detention, suspension’: “The state of California is poised within days to adopt a resolution that schools be ‘discrimination-free’ zones – a plan one critic asserts is designed ‘to stamp out the free speech of students and teachers with moral values or scientific ethics.’…The resolution states ‘all public education institutes are encouraged to … identify themselves as ‘discrimination-free zones’ through placards, signs, notices of available services, and other appropriate identifications to create a campus climate that welcomes diversity and supports the tolerance of others.’… The proposal states ‘all public education institutions, prekindergarten through university campuses, are encouraged to develop and enact policies that support tolerance and acceptance of others regardless of their race or ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation.…”

Tea partiers ‘screaming white men,’ ‘racist forces’: “Those are just a few of the labels used to describe participants in yesterday’s tea party rally in Boston headlined by Palin, according to an account from a union leader and protest organizer posted on a socialist website. Steve Gillis, vice president of the Steelworkers Local 8751…. described his protest group of mostly Haitian-origin union workers as ‘anti-racists,’ fighting ‘the racist forces’…. Gillis hailed his anti-tea party protest as ‘a step forward for people ready to fight the capitalist system’s tricks…”

Christophobia – Anti-Christian bigotry is the last fashionable hatred: “Christianity is dying. It was once the bastion of Western civilization. Now, Christianity is a pitiful remnant of its former greatness. Across the West, it is in full retreat.…[Compared to today’s increasingly worldly church, God’s true Church may seem to be a mere remnant. But that remnant will never die!]

Pornography, abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity, the AIDS epidemic, soaring out-of-wedlock births, sky-rocketing divorce rates and the breakdown of the family – these are the poisoned fruits of the Playboy philosophy. MTV morality is in; Jesus is out…. The American left is following in the shameful – and much more bloody – footsteps of Marxist regimes. Instead of eradicating religious faith through the barrel of a gun, leftists use bureaucratic dictates and mass propaganda. …

“The same standards do not apply to Islam. Davenport’s multiculturalists would never dare to remove say, Ramadan, from the calendar and rename it “Fasting Month” for fear of offending Muslims – and possibly triggering a fatwa….

“The Founding Fathers emphasized that the constitutional republic depended upon a vigorous religious society…. ‘Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people,’ said John Adams. ‘It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'” See Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796

City opens door a crack for home Bible studies: “Officials in the city of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who had ordered participants of a home Bible study either to purchase an unobtainable city permit to meet or shut down, now are relenting a little. City officials have said the Bible study targeted earlier for banishment can continue to meet, but they are keeping the threat of forced closures for potential use against other Bible studies.” See Don’t Mention Jesus

February 2010

Teacher cries ‘hate crime’ over Bible left on desk: “An eighth-grade teacher has accused her students of committing a ‘hate crime’ and being ‘cruel’ because they left a Bible on her desk and a Christmas card with the word ‘Christ’ underlined. Melissa Hussain, an Apex, N.C., science teacher at West Lake Middle School, is suspended with pay and may lose her job after she purportedly clashed with students on the subject of religion and sent students to the school office when they asked about the role of God in creation during a lesson about evolution.

“Hussain wrote on her then-public Facebook page that it was a ‘hate crime’ when her students left a Bible on her desk…. She complained about students singing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and wearing Jesus T-shirts. Hussain said she ‘was able to shame her kids’ over the incidents. ‘I can’t believe the cruelty and ignorance of people sometimes,’ Hussain wrote on the social networking site. She said she wouldn’t let the Bible incident ‘go unpunished.’….

“Hussain’s friends responded by posting comments on the teacher’s Facebook page … calling the parents of Hussain’s students ‘bigoted, stupid and uncaring.’ Another friend suggested Hussain bring a poster to class of NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a swastika drawn on his forehead because doing so would be ‘teaching” students a lesson.'” See Preparing for Persecution

Christian teacher ‘forced out’ after complaining Muslim pupils praised 9/11 hijackers ‘as heroes’: [UK] “A Christian teacher yesterday claimed he was forced out of his job after complaining that Muslim pupils as young as eight hailed the September 11 hijackers as heroes…. The predominantly Muslim youngsters openly praised Islamic extremists in class and described the September 11 terrorists as ‘heroes and martyrs’. One pupil said: ‘Don’t touch me, you’re a Christian’ when he brushed against him. Others said: ‘We want to be Islamic bombers when we grow up’, and ‘The Christians and Jews are our enemies – you too because you’re a Christian’.” SeeLoving evil more than good

Religious affiliation on ID cards rejected: “…religious affiliation on ID cards has created problems for Christians in predominantly Islamic nations…. Turkey was requiring people to disclose their beliefs in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the national constitution…. Christians and other religious minorities in Turkey often have been subjected to discrimination based on identification of their religious affiliation…. ‘It has been known to affect whether they get a job or not, how people look at them, whether they are accepted for a post or an application of some sort.” Day of No Return

January 2009

Mall to Christians: God talk banned! “…a youth pastor was arrested at the Galleria Mall in Roseville, Calif., for having a conversation about religion with two other people. Matthew Snatchko… was interrupted in the middle of a conversation by a security guard. A second guard joined the confrontation and told Snatchko he was being placed under citizen’s arrest for ‘trespassing.’ The pastor said he agreed to leave but instead, the guards grabbed him, roughly shoved him against a storefront window and handcuffed him tightly enough to draw blood. …he was booked on charges of battery and trespassing.

“…the charges were dropped, but officials with the Pacific Justice Institute decided to pursue a case against the mall over the impact of the policy on free speech….

“Snatchko originally was confronted during a casual conversation with two other shoppers about faith when a store employee listened to the conversation and alerted mall security guards. Besides the ban on conversations with strangers about religion or politics, the mall also bans any clothing with religious or political messages.” See Evangelism: Our witness to His love

The Crucifixion of Brit Hume: “During the Roman Empire’s secularist era those who acknowledged the deity of Christ were frequently fed to the lions to entertain – for lack of a better word – the ‘progressive’ elites of the day. … You don’t see it when Muslims proselytize in government schools….

“‘Tom Shales, media critic for the Washington Post... demanded that Hume apologize and called his Christian remarks ‘even only a few days into January, as one of the most ridiculous of the year.’ MSNBC’s… Keith Olbermann accused Hume of attempting ‘to threaten Tiger Woods into converting to Christianity’…. Commenting on the Huffington Post, ‘Kandaher’ bypassed Hume altogether and aimed his vitriol directly at his Creator: ‘anyone (sic) watched ‘The passion of Christ’? I thorouhgly (sic) enjoyed it. Nothing like watching this bloke getting beaten up!”

As Jesus told us, “…because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…. If they persecuted Me they will persecute you… for they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:19-21

December 2009

U.S. Army major: Lose evangelical Christian beliefs: “A research paper written by a U.S. Army major for the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., calls for Americans to lose the evangelical Christian belief of pre-millennialism because of the damage it does to the nation’s foreign interests. ‘As a result of millennarian influences on our culture, most Americans think as absolutists,’ Maj. Brian L. Stuckert wrote in his 2008 course requirement at the school for military officers. ‘A proclivity for clear differentiations between good, evil, right, and wrong do not always serve us well in foreign relations or security policy,’ he said.”

Since this was an “academic” paper rather than a policy statement, its actual influence may be slim. But it does show the author’s denial of God’s unchanging Word and his misunderstanding of the Biblical message about the millennium. See End-Time EventsTeacher orders 3rd-grader: Put Bible away! “Her teacher told her to put it away, and she put it in her desk. And then the teacher told her, ‘No, put that in your backpack. I told you to put it away.’ And it hurt her feelings and confused her. Why would my teacher say that I can’t read the Bible when I’m not bothering anybody else?” The principal has since apologized, acknowledging a mistake on the teacher’s part, since school policy does allow children to read the Bible or any other religious book during quiet reading time.”Don’t mention Jesus

8-year-old gets psych evaluation for drawing Jesus: “An 8-year-old boy has been suspended from school and forced to undergo a psychological evaluation after he drew a picture of Jesus Christ on the cross. A teacher at Lowell Maxham Elementary School in Taunton, Mass., said the second-grade student created a violent drawing…. The boy’s picture portrayed a crucified Jesus with Xs over his eyes to indicate that he had died on the cross.

“The child’s father, outraged at the school’s action… said his boy drew the picture after returning from a family trip to see the Christmas display at… a Christian retreat. When the teacher asked students to draw something that reminded them of Christmas on Dec. 2, the boy recalled his trip and created a portrait of Christ on the cross.

Federal court says Christian-themed license plates Unconstitutional! “A federal judge ruled Nov. 10 that a South Carolina license plate featuring cross, a stained-glass window and the words ‘I Believe’ violate the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state…. A federal judge ruled that a Christian-themed license plate in South Carolina ‘amounts to state endorsement not only of religion in general, but of a specific sect in particular.’…

‘“There is free speech for every group in this state besides Christians,’ [Lt. Gov. André] Bauer said…. ‘Every citizen has the right to free speech in this country. I don’t understand why witnessing in public is considered unconstitutional.” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny

October 2009

Congress passes ‘Pedophile Protection Act’: “The AFA said, ‘Everywhere hate crimes laws have gone into effect, they have been quickly used to intimidate, silence and punish people of faith who express deeply held religious objections to the normalization of homosexuality. ‘Such laws not only punish officially disapproved speech and thought, they create two tiers of victims. Under hate crimes laws, some victims get more protections than others, which violates the fundamental American principle of equality under the law.'” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

September 2009

Christian hotel owners hauled before court after defending their beliefs in discussion with Muslim guest: “A Christian couple have been charged with a criminal offence after taking part in what they regarded as a reasonable discussion about religion with guests at their hotel. Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang were arrested after a Muslim woman complained to police that she had been offended by their comments. They have been charged under public order laws with using ‘threatening, abusive or insulting words’ that were ‘religiously aggravated’….The couple, whose trial has been set for December, face a fine of up to £5,000 and a criminal record if they are convicted….

“‘Ben and Sharon do not accept they were threatening, abusive or insulting. ‘They are committed Christians and it is the defence’s contention that they have every right to defend their religious beliefs and explain those beliefs to others who do not hold similar views.’… Neil Addison, a prominent criminal barrister and expert in religious law, said: ‘The purpose of the Public Order Act is to prevent disorder, but I’m very concerned that the police are using it merely because someone is offended.”

“The draft proposal being considered by the State Board of Education won’t be formally adopted until next May for the 2011-2012 school year. The standards will remain in place for the next decade, dictating what is taught in government, history and other social studies classes in elementary and secondary schools. The standards also will be used to develop state tests and by textbook publishers who develop material for the nation based on their largest market, Texas…. The proposal, which is set to be debated during a hearing next week, removes the words Christmas and Rosh Hashanah. Diwali, a Hindu festival, is added.” SeeSpiritual Warfare

Lawsuit: Holiday Inn targeted Christians: “A lawsuit has been filed by a Christian organization against the Holiday Inn Select located in Naperville, Ill., for refusing to allow Americans for Truth About Homosexuality to hold an event there. ‘Imagine the hue and cry that would have erupted had the Holiday Inn Select hotel … canceled a ‘gay’ organization’s scheduled banquet after its leader told the hotel that some Christians might protest the event,’ the organization said…” SeeWhy hate crimes laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Church-bell ‘noise’ under attack – in America: “The dispute focuses on the city ordinance that even city officials have conceded is vague…. Nevertheless, on the strength of neighbors’ complaints and the existing statute, one pastor already has been convicted and sentenced for violating the city ordinance with church bells….’No one should be sentenced to jail and probation for doing what churches have traditionally done throughout history, especially when the sound of the church’s bells does not exceed the noise level that the law allows for ice cream trucks.'” Purging the Memory of our Christian Roots

Shocking terror ties to Christian girl’s family mosque: “The Muslim parents of a young Christian runaway who fears for her life are devout members of mosque with ties to numerous terrorist leaders…. Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17, an honor student and cheerleader, was raised in a Muslim family in Columbus, Ohio. She became a Christian four years ago…. But Bary, a native of Sri Lanka, hitchhiked to a bus station and ran away from home July 19 because she says her family will murder her in what is known as an ‘honor killing’ for converting to Christianity….

“‘The primary issue in this case is the clear and present danger that is presented by the Noor Center mosque and its ties to terrorist activity and the Bary parents’ devotion to, relationship with, and regular participation in the Noor Center.’ …the CEO of the Noor Center, Hany Saqr, has direct ties to the Muslim Brotherhood….

“Saqr had also been an imam, or Islamic religious leader, for another mosque in the same area of Columbus at the same time the largest-known al-Qaida cell in the United States was operating out of that mosque…. Saqr’s subordinate, Ismail Elbarasse, was one of the top Hamas operatives in the country and had provided at least $735,000 to Hamas at that time.” See Hope, Hate & Human Nature

‘Hate crimes’ brings pro-‘gay’ cash to your town: “The probable new ‘hate crimes’ law may lead to prosecution of pastors, Christian leaders and even ‘Joe-Christian-on-the-street’ for having the wrong opinion about homosexuality or cross-dressing. A lesser-discussed evil twin product of this legislation, however, is federally financed youth and police indoctrination programs….

“The House and Senate versions of the bills (H.R. 1913 and S. 909) both say this: ‘The Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice may award grants… to State, local, or tribal programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles, including programs to train local law enforcement officers in identifying, investigating, prosecuting, and preventing hate crimes.’ … Such programs will be reinforced by police training about who the real hate groups are: Christian traditional families. These horrifying people are in your town, your community! What can be done to stop them? Congress has just decided.” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

July 2009

Nurse ‘forced’ to help abort: “A Brooklyn nurse claims she was forced to choose between her religious convictions and her job when Mount Sinai Hospital ordered her to assist in a late-term abortion against her will…. The hospital even exaggerated the patient’s condition and claimed the woman could die if the nurse, a devout Catholic, did not follow orders…. ‘It felt like a horror film unfolding,’ said Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo.’… During her job interview, an administrator asked Cenzon-DeCarlo whether she’d be willing to participate in abortions. She flatly said no. The nurse said she put her beliefs in writing. … ‘I emigrated to this country in the belief that here religious freedom is sacred.'”

State House edits ‘Jesus’ from pastor’s prayer: “Stoltzfoos had been invited … to open Tuesday’s session of the House with a prayer as guest chaplain. The pastor declined the invitation after someone on McCall’s staff told him he could not use Jesus’ name in the prayer. ‘First of all, I don’t see how Jesus is denominational. The whole Christian world is called after him,’ Stoltzfoos said. ‘…if you want me to pray, then I have to pray to the one thing I know. I only know one God personally. I only serve one God. How do I do something that dishonors him?’

“The policy — not yet three months old — requires guest chaplains to first submit their prayers in writing and then, if deemed necessary, agree to change their words to meet ‘nondenominational’ guidelines established by McCall’s staff…. It is not an attempt to silence religious leaders, McCall spokesman Bob Caton said, but rather an effort to prevent taxpayers from having to foot the bill of a lawsuit if someone objects to a prayer’s contents and chooses to sue the state.”

Silencing the Christians: “Are we teaching our future leaders tolerance at the expense of moral convictions? On this episode of ‘Speechless…. Silencing the Christians,’ a Georgia Tech student leader receives death and rape threats after she opposes the school’s liberal feminist policies.” See Spiritual Warfare

University requires permit to hand out Bibles: “The policy is in place to protect the entire BU community…. You just can’t hand things out without approval,’ Mickanis’ e-mail said. Giving away Bibles on the campus of Bucknell University is at your own peril…. ‘Bucknell promises free speech, but it delivers selective censorship,’ said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. ‘Bucknell administrators have gone out of their way to abuse and even invent policies in attempts to silence these students, all the while professing to respect free speech.” See Preparing for Persecution

Right-wing extremists face extra scrutiny: “‘I am more concerned with the threat from the Christian-identity groups than the homegrown Islamic terrorists,’ said Maria Haberfeld, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. ‘It’s a disaster waiting to happen. The fact that this guy did what he did may be symptomatic of things to come.’…

“Carol Swain, a law professor at Vanderbilt University and the author of ‘The New White Nationalism in America,’ said that such writings on the Internet can help inspire a so-called ‘lone wolf,’ who is not formally involved with any group, to carry out violent acts….

Does her concern include ordinary peace-loving Christians us?Scroll down to “May” atHomeland Security

“‘The policy of San Francisco is one of totalitarian intolerance of Christians of all denominations who oppose homosexual conduct,’ Thompson continued. ‘My concern is that if this ruling is allowed to stand, it will further embolden anti-Christian attacks.'”

May 2009

Christian cross complaint targets nation’s faith factor: “A cross erected in the remote southern California desert by U.S. veterans in memory of their lost World War I buddies has become the focal point for an effort by the American Civil Liberties Union to eradicate references to Christianity from America’s heritage. But now a campaign has been assembled to fight back, to honor the veterans who have kept the nation safe for generations and to endorse the right of the public to acknowledge those efforts…. The cross was covered in a bag when the court’s ruling was released, and later encased in a plywood box so that no one could inadvertently see the representation of Christianity, officials said.”Home: No place for Bible study: “A San Diego pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a county official and warned they will face escalating fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home.

“…a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people. ‘Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home? Do you sing? Do you say ‘amen’?’… ‘Do you say, ‘Praise the Lord’?’ The pastor’s wife answered yes.

“She… was then told, however, that she must stop holding ‘religious assemblies’ until she and her husband obtain a Major Use Permit from the county…. And if they fail to pay for the MUP, the county official reportedly warned, the couple will be charged escalating fines beginning at $100, then $200, $500, $1000, ‘and then it will get ugly.’…

“… oppressive governments, such as communist China or Nazi Germany, worked to repress home fellowships, labeling them the ‘underground church’ or ‘subversive groups,’ legally compelling Christians to meet only in sanctioned, government-controlled ‘official’ churches.”

‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ for Christians: “…military sources confirmed that Bibles sent to American troops in Afghanistan, intended as gifts that soldiers could give to the Afghan people, have been confiscated and destroyed. The Bibles, published in Pashtu and Dari, the predominant Afghan languages, were sent by an American charity. …[They] were reportedly burned. It is a shame that the Christian holy book gets such shabby treatment, especially considering the extraordinary lengths to which our military has been ordered to go so as not to ‘defile the Koran. ….At Gitmo our soldiers are required to use two hands and to wear gloves when handling that book in order not to offend Muslims.

“This Bible blunder pales in comparison to the scandalous contents of books sent all over the world by Muslim governments and interest groups. Congressman Frank Wolf has worked tirelessly to get the State Department to investigate controversial textbooks used at two Islamic schools in Northern Virginia. Some of these books have ‘intolerant’ and ‘shocking’ material, including anti-Semitic and anti-Christian material.” SeeSpiritual Warfare

Enforced “Diversity” will make Britain “First Modern Soft Totalitarian State: “An attempt in the House of Lords to insert a freedom of speech clause was shot down…. Colebatch cited ‘innumerable cases’ over the last decade in which public employees such as nurses, policemen, teachers, marriage commissioners and others have been threatened with the sack or suspension or disciplinary measures for sharing, or even privately revealing, their religious beliefs….

“Beckford wrote that the public sector in Britain is engaging in an all-out campaign against Christianity…. The operating principle, he said, is government suppression of freedom of speech and religion…. Once the laws are in place, he writes, ‘there will be little to stop future governments or local authorities interpreting ‘equality and diversity’ in different ways to silence other groups – atheists, perhaps, or climate change skeptics.’” See Endurance

Homosexual activists target, expose pro-family voters: “Arkansas voters who signed petitions and then voted to limit adoption strictly to married couples are getting unwelcomed publicity…. ‘Now this gay group out of Massachusetts has acquired the names of all the people who signed the petition to place the measure on the ballot here in Arkansas,’ he notes. ‘They got those from the secretary of state, and they’ve entered those into a database, and they’ve put them up on the Internet.’ Cox considers it a form of harassment against people for standing up for what they believe.” See Taking a Stand

April 2009

Hate Crimes Legislation Draws Criticism from Christian Groups: “Hate-crimes legislation (in other countries), which is basically identical to the proposed U.S. legislation for all intents and purposes, has turned out to be the precursor to even more oppressive hate-speech legislation, which directly squashes any opposition to the homosexual lifestyle or even affirmatively promoting traditional sexual morality.”

Christian charity worker suspended for saying he did not believe in same-sex marriage: “David Booker, 44, was chatting about his faith with co-worker Fiona Vardy during a late shift at the hostel in Southampton…. He told her he was opposed to same-sex marriages and to homosexual clergy but denied being homophobic and said that he had homosexual friends. The next evening, Mr Booker was suspended from his £19,000-a-year post…. His employers told him the action was taken for ‘events that happened last night’. On March 30 he received a formal suspension notice which alleged that he ‘seriously breached’ the charity’s code of conduct ‘by promoting your religious views which contained discriminatory comments regarding a person’s sexual orientation.'”

Crosses, Bibles banned from hospital chapel: “Administrators at a hospital in Australia have thrown the crosses, crucifixes and Bibles out of their chapel to comply with new rules that followed the construction of a special prayer room for Muslims. …The move… was made to avoid offending Muslims or Hindus who may be at the hospital…. Hospital staff members told the newspaper while the chapel was built for Christians, the goal apparently now is to create a neutral space.”

March 2009

Jewish groups denounce Oliphant Gaza cartoon: “The syndicated cartoon published Wednesday in newspapers across the country depicts a goose-stepping uniformed figure wheeling the Jewish symbol as it menaces a small female figure labeled ‘Gaza.’ …’The imagery in this cartoon mimics the venomous anti-Semitic propaganda of the Nazi and Soviet eras… It is cartoons like this that inspired millions of people to hate in the 1930s and help set the stage for the Nazi genocide.’ … ‘It employs Nazi imagery by portraying Israel as a jack-booted, goose-stepping headless apparition’…. Oliphant, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1967, is one of the most widely syndicated editorial cartoonists in the world.” SeeMAPof the huge Muslim block determined to crush tiny Israel

U.K. Deports Christians under new Immigration Rules: “A prominent Christian musician and a team of college-age missionaries were recently deported from the United Kingdom under new immigration rules that require religious workers to be sponsored by a licensed organization and obtain visas to enter the country….

“…Christians have to operate under the radar all over the world,’ said Judy Littler Manners, a Christian leader based London. ‘But this is the first time they may be forced to do it in this country.’…

“Christian leaders inside the U.K. said few ministries are fully aware of the complex new Home Office regulations, which were quietly introduced late last year. The rules require that religious workers be sponsored by an organization that has registered with the government, and applicants must pay a fee to obtain a work visa.”

This happened to a missionary friend of ours who was scheduled to participate in a Christian missionary training session in London. She was not allowed to leave the airport and was sent back to America.

“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Elementary blots out ‘In God We Trust’: “Administrators at Lakeview Elementary School [in Tennessee] told parents that the posters… mentioned ‘God’ and are therefore precluded by school board policy and prohibited in the hallways as inappropriate. Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund… filed a lawsuit today on behalf of 10 parents and their children, seeking an injunction against banning private religious expression on student-made posters.

“‘Christian students shouldn’t be censored for expressing their beliefs…. It’s ridiculous as well as unconstitutional to cover up these references to God and prayer – one of which is the national motto itself – on posters announcing a student-led activity.’ ….’The Constitution prohibits government officials from singling out religious speech for censorship….'”

February 2009

Gift bag bomb explodes at Christian missionary’s home: “Christian missionary Gary Stevenson thought the pink, gift-wrapped bag he found on his doorstep was a present left for one of his toddler daughters, but when he brought it inside his home, the bomb within the bag exploded. Stevenson suffered multiple lacerations and burns, deep cuts on his head and chest, and underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from his liver. But he is expected to make a full recovery. His daughters, age 1 and 3, were away with their grandmother at the time.” See Depravity

Christian nurse row: now teachers could be disciplined for discussing religion: “A new code of practice … states that classroom staff must ‘promote equality and value diversity’. An alleged lack of commitment to this requirement, which is insisted upon by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, was used to suspend Caroline Petrie, the Christian nurse who offered to pray for an elderly patient…. The GTC draft guidance states that registered teachers must ‘act respectfully towards all children and young people, parents, carers and colleagues, regardless of their socio-economic background, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion or beliefs’. …

“Mike Judge, a spokesman for The Christian Institute, said: ‘Are we going to see Christian teachers suspended because they mention God, or prayer, or church?…

“‘There is a witch hunt against Christians and it is time it stopped. Churches pioneered bedside care for the sick and education for the disadvantaged. Now they are being squeezed out by the ‘tolerance intelligentsia‘ who tolerate anything as long as it is not Christianity…. ‘What this shows is that equality and diversity policies which are purported to promote tolerance end up imposing censorship and a new intolerance.”

Counselor suspended after teens hear Christian music: “The complaint explains the counselor took the four teen girls on the field trip during the summer of 2006, first to a 5 kilometer run and then to the beach. ‘At the beach, the group encountered a ‘Surf Jam’ taking place at the Huntington Beach Pier. The group also overheard Christian music for about 10 minutes while they were eating.’… After the outing, the counselor was ordered into a ‘disciplinary meeting’ that focused on the inappropriateness of Christian music.”

Police chaplains lose cross in wake of federal lawsuit [Spokane]: “The cross is coming off the official patch worn by Spokane Police Department chaplains after a federal lawsuit prompted changes inside the police chaplains office. The removal of the cross stems from a lawsuit filed against the city…. [It] said the patch was illegal and the department’s requirement that chaplains adhere to the Judeo / Christian ethic was also unconstitutional because government cannot favor one religion over another. So now the city has agreed to remove the patch and change the criteria so now non-religious people can also become chaplains. The head of the chaplains board… called it an attack on Christianity…” Read the section on the First Amendment in this article: Obama’s Faith-Based Partnerships BAN TRUTH

Pro-life pastor prepares for sentencing: “His approach was simply to carry a sign that said ‘Jesus Loves You. Can We Help?’ and offering those who wanted it some information about alternatives to abortion.’…. A complaint was filed and [Pastor Walter] Hoye was found guilty in spite of proof to the contrary. ‘There was a video taken of him doing this, and it shows that he was not harassing anybody…. In fact, he was being harassed by escorts from the abortion clinic.'”

January 2009

Stimulus to ban religious worship: “President Obama’s proposed economic stimulus plan makes a deliberate – and unconstitutional – attempt to censor religious speech and worship on school campuses across the nation…. The wording that specifically targets religious speech already has been approved by the majority Democrats in the U.S. House – all GOP members opposed it.

“Critics argued schools would accept any money offered, then impose a ban on religious events…. ‘This is a direct attack on students of faith, and I’m outraged Democrats are using an economic stimulus bill to promote discrimination,’ DeMint said.” SeeDon’t mention Jesus

Christians are becoming social pariahs in Britain: “The Radio 2 host said that he feels unable to talk about his faith on his show because he fears how people would react. He argues that society has become increasingly intolerant of the freedom to express religious views. ‘You can’t express views that were common currency 30 or 40 years ago,’ he said. ‘…it’s almost socially unacceptable to say you believe in God.'” See Don’t conform to the ways of the world

Dozens of Christmas Displays Vandalized, Pastor Assaulted: “…a 50-year-old figure of the Baby Jesus was stolen from a Washington Park [Ohio] display and later found hanging from a ceiling fan at the alleged thief’s apartment…. [Louisiana:] a 38-year-old man and two teenagers were arrested for vandalizing Christmas lawn displays at five different homes…. [Tennessee:] A 50-year-old statue of a shepherd was decapitated at a Nativity center…. [Texas:] A Nativity scene….was splattered with red paint….Pastor James Dennis Warman was struck repeatedly in the head by two assailants on Dec. 7. He is now in a medically induced coma and not able to speak, and he may have brain damage…” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny

September 2008

Five Chaplains Lose Jobs for Praying ‘In Jesus’ Name’: “Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly ‘in Jesus’ name.’ Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict ‘non-sectarian’ prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers.”

British Muslims Offended by Christians Praying during Ramadan: “A Christian group in Oxford has apologised to the city’s Muslims for having the audacity to organise a day of prayer during Ramadan. Oxford’s Muslims found it ‘ill-conceived and insensitive’, not to mention ‘grossly insulting and inflammatory’.

“The Muslim Education Centre of Oxford (MECO) has accused the Evangelical group ‘Open Doors UK’ of preaching ‘evangelical propaganda’. Do not Muslims preach Islamic propaganda? Do the Christians in Oxford complain about this? Would the Muslims of Oxford apologise or even care if the Christians did complain about it?”

July 2008

Muslim-led UN Resolution Draws Attention: The Organization of the Islamic Conference “put forward what’s called a ‘[Combating] Defamation of Religions’ resolution which would amend the U.N.’s Declaration of Human Rights and would make it a criminal act and violation of international law to ‘defame another religion.’… [It] only mentions one religion by name: Islam. ‘…there’s nothing about preventing the defamation of Christianity… which means if you were spreading the gospel, it would be deemed defamatory towards Islam and would be [considered] a crime.’ …that is similar to the tactic used by homosexual activists in Canada and Europe to silence Christians. …

‘”If you look at the resolution,’ he continues, ‘it would literally change the entire scope of human rights law on an international basis. They would encourage [all other nations] — after the resolution is passed by the member states, which are all the countries in the U.N — to pass laws that would mandate [that] you could not speak out against another religion.”

If this becomes an international standard, it will fast divide genuine Christian from the cultural Christian. Only those who truly love God will risk their lives and comforts for the privilege of following Jesus and sharing His gospel.

Offend a homosexual… Go to prison for 5 years: “Christians will face prison for speaking out against homosexuality if Brazil’s Senate passes a bill approved unanimously by its House of Representatives…. The bill also seeks to penalize private and public school administrators with up to three years in prison if they refuse to hire openly ‘gay’ teachers. According to the CNA, the measure will force prison time for any ‘moral, ethical, philosophical or psychological expression that questions homosexual practices.’… ‘[A] priest, a pastor, a teacher or even an average citizen who says in a sermon, a classroom or public conversation that homosexual acts are sinful, disordered or an illness could be denounced and detained.’

“…the president of Brazil said ‘opposing’ homosexuality makes you a sick person, and he believes such thoughts need to be criminalized…. Brazilian chief Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva… held the First National Conference of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals to condemn the biblical belief that homosexuality is wrong…. Calling for ‘the criminalization of homophobia,’ he said opposition to homosexuality is ‘perhaps the most perverse disease impregnated in the human head.’ He said ‘prejudiced’ people need to ‘open their minds and clean them.'” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Evangelicals Support Conversion Code: “The World Council of Churches… said Wednesday that the process was formally joined by the World Evangelical Alliance…. WCC said the code of conductshould serve as an ‘advocacy tool in discussions with governments considering anti-conversion laws (and) help to advance the cause of religious freedom.’ The rules should also address concerns in other religions about Christians seeking converts, and inspire those faiths to ‘consider their own codes of conduct.’… The council noted, however, that none of the partners involved intend — nor have the means — to impose the code of conduct on their constituencies, but they all trust that it will be able to‘impact hearts and minds’ and allow for ‘moral and peer pressure.’” See UNESCO’s Declaration on the Role of Religion and The Evangelical Manifesto

May 2008

Bible bonfires inside Israel: “Messianic ‘Jews for Jesus’, who are closely linked with Evangelical Christian groups from America and now number up to 15,000 inside Israel, called for an official investigation after orthodox students from a yeshiva in the town of Or Yehuda allegedly dumped and burnt hundreds of copies of the New Testament. These had been distributed to Ethiopian immigrant families in the town. At first, the action was defended…. as ‘purging the evil among us’, but he was quick to backtrack. Ultimately, he blamed ‘three or four’ hotheaded students for a ‘spontaneous act’ which led to an international public relations disaster. …

“…a group of religious Zionist rabbis called for a boycott of this year’s International Bible Quiz after discovering that one of the four finalists from Israel, Bat-El Levi, an 11th-grader from Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood, was a messianic Jew.” See Persecution

March 2008

Canada orders ministry by Christians shut down: “The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were ‘critical’ of the beliefs of those who are not Christian….

“‘Canada is no longer a Christian nation,’ she said. ‘And watch out America!.’ The issue of the ministry’s charities license in Canada, allowing it to operate as a ministry, came up during a routine audit of the ministry’s finances….”

When preaching becomes a crime: “In 1774, a young James Madison, while traveling through Culpeper County in Virginia – well before he became our fourth president – passed by a jail where a number of Baptist preachers had been incarcerated for nothing more than preaching without an official government license. One of these ‘criminals’ preached from a window of the jail to any who would listen. Madison would never forget the dedication of those brave preachers – nor the audacity of the officials who had jailed them….” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

February 2008

Texas Governor Urges Protection for Boy Scouts of America: “Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an Eagle Scout himself, is now the father of an Eagle Scout…. He described the Boy Scouts organization as a moral beacon for the rest of the country, adding that’s why it has become a target for the secular left…. ‘…the Boy Scouts of America, with its clearly-stated belief in God, adherence to a strict moral code and steadfast focus on shaping young men, is the trophy buck that the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and their friends would like to hang above the fireplace,’ Perry said ….

“The scouts have won court battles against the ACLU, which attempted to force the organization to accept homosexual scout masters and abandon adherence to a belief in God. ‘Now, the secular left has shifted its attacks to public entities that have sponsored scout events at city parks, public schools, even the Department of Defense,’ Perry said. ‘They have gone after anyone with access to public funds to prevent them from providing space to the Boy Scouts. …they are winning some of these lawsuits…. In some instances, just the threat of a lawsuit has compelled certain public organizations to close their doors to the scouts. In other instances, city officials sympathetic to the secular agenda are creating new policies that ban access to city facilities for scouts.’

“In one instance, the Boy Scouts were evicted from a facility in Philadelphia that they had rented for one dollar a year for almost a century. The city told the scouts they would have to pay fair market value — $300,000 a year — unless the Boy Scouts renounced its policy on excluding openly homosexual scoutmasters. The scouts declined and were forced from the building. ‘…The scouts actually built that facility more than 80 years ago and gave it to the city for free.'” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny

California Irony: Cathedral City Calls Church Message a “Nuisance”: “A small church has found itself facing the wrath of local government for a simple yet profound message painted on its roof…. Pastor Nimmons took his message outside the church walls, painting the word ‘Eternity’ in large letters on the roof of the church. Pastor Nimmons’ intent was to encourage passers-by to consider where they would spend eternity….

Brampton, Ontario – Shades of Stalinist Russia [Canada]: “…bureaucrats in Toronto’s western-most suburb decided to have a look at the way churches, mosques, temples, and other ‘places of worship’ have traditionally been exempted from paying property taxes. …soon a study was launched on ‘Places of Worship’. It was all done very quietly….

“…to this day, Brampton hasn’t produced a copy for public perusal…. But last summer, someone with a bit of sympathy for the churches leaked a copy. A draft of the report – the one that doesn’t even officially exist – is about a hundred pages long…. [It indicates that–]

• All ‘non-worship space’ owned by religious organizations (offices, kitchens, nurseries, fellowship halls, parking lots, etc) would become subject to property taxes. Only the sanctuary space [or the altar] would be tax exempt…

• The study recommends a redefinition of what constitutes ‘places of worship’ – including a removal of provisions expressly allowing church properties to be used for ‘community services’ such as day care centres, soup kitchens, etc.

• There is a recommendation for major restrictions on new church start-ups…

• The study sets a stated goal of having only one ‘place of worship’ for every 10-thousand residents….

• And the real shades of Stalinist Russia come with the proposed regulations on ‘house churches.’

“Regularly-scheduled private gatherings in homes would be restricted to no more than 20 people – children included….

“What if I don’t like the particular ‘place of worship’ that the City of Brampton designates for my neighbourhood?” SeeBan Truth – Reap Tyranny

December 2007

University mandates ‘Merry —-mas’ as holiday greeting: “The controversy began when the [Southwestern Oklahoma State University] director of human resources recently visited various departments and said that decorations featuring the word ‘Christmas’ in any areas of the university must be immediately removed.’ … ‘He also instructed the employees not to say ‘Christmas’ while on the job. As a result the employees cannot respond ‘Merry Christmas’ to other employees or visitors to the University.’…

“[University President] Hays blamed it on ‘an attempt to be respectful of the diverse religious population at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.’… ‘This censorship specifically includes exchanging greetings of ‘Merry Christmas’ among employees or with non-employees, whether initiated by a university employee or not,’ Liberty Counsel said. ….’Moreover, the free speech rights of employees at the university are infringed when their speech is censored solely because of a religious viewpoint or perceived religious viewpoint.'”See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Colorado Gunman Killed Himself: “Murray shot and killed sisters Stephanie and Rachael Works, ages 18 and 16, and wounded their father, who was in or near their car in the parking lot of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado….

“…some answers may be found from a warning Murray posted online just 90 minutes before he went to New Life Church. The message attributed to Matthew Murray — using the screen name ‘nghtmrchld26’ — mirrored the wording of a warning posted in 1999 by Eric Harris… [Columbine High School]. ‘I’m coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @.%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill,’ the posting… read….

“Murray… titled his entry, ‘You Christians brought this on yourselves.’… In earlier postings, ‘nghtmrchld26’ railed against the Rev. Ted Haggard, founder of New Life Church… fired last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him…. One post, called ‘My YWAM Horror Story,’ complained about being removed from the Arvada youth mission program. ‘Why was I told that I couldn’t be a missionary because I wasn’t `social enough’? I was told that I was `an introvert… The authoritarianism and hypocrisy is outrageous.'” SeeWhy “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianityand The Fall and Rise of Human Violence

November 2007

County investigates sheriff for supporting Christmas: “A county sheriff who had publicly expressed frustration with ‘politically correct’ antagonism from secular America toward the religious foundations of Christmas now is under investigation for his thoughts…. County Sheriff Jim Alderden’s opinions were expressed in his ‘Bulls-Eye’ website column recently…. ‘The fact that we are even engaged in a discourse of whether Christmas trees and Christian symbols of faith should be allowed on city property is absurd…. One major U.S. city’s airport, he noted, was installing footbaths for Muslims, but refused to allow Christmas trees.” See Tolerance as a Tool for Transformation

One smack too many: “Opponents of New Zealand’s new anti-smacking [spanking] law are fearful that the case of a woman facing possible arrest if she were found to have smacked her child a third time, is an indication of worse things to come. The Wellington woman… said she and her family had been traumatised by two separate incidents, the first involving Child, Youth and Family (CYF) and the second the police. … ‘Now that we are in the system, it doesn’t matter whether we are guilty or not. If the police officers don’t like us for any reason, they have the power to separate our family.’

“The first episode occurred earlier in the year, after the school called CYF when a teacher reported that the woman had smacked her child on the hand before school. A few months later three policemen turned up, apparently in response to a complaint from a neighbour. The woman admitted smacking her child on the backside for misbehaving on the trampoline. …when she asked what would happen if they paid a second visit for just pulling her child off the tramp, she alleged they told her she would be arrested … because she still used physical force…. [A friend said] she was a ‘great mother’ who really loved her children.”See What can parents do

August 2007

Ohio bans the name of Jesus from the statehouse: “When Pastor Keith Hamblen of Calvary Bible Church in Lima prayed ‘in Jesus’ name’ on the floor of the Ohio Statehouse, Democratic minority leader Chris Redfern stomped off the floor in protest. Catering oh so tenderly to the religious pluralists in the House, the Republican majority leader is willing to offend Christians. …

“‘I have received several legitimate complaints from members recently about the disregard for the guest minister guidelines, more specifically the increasing tendency of guest invocators to use language referring to a particular deity,” the Republican majority speaker John Husted said in a memorandum to all Ohio House members. ‘If a prayer is not received in writing and approved by the Clerk’s Office… the guest invocator will be asked not to deliver the prayer.” See Why “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Evangelical Pastor told to Leave Israel: “Interior Ministry officials said the decision was made following suspicions that Cantrell was involved in missionary work. The pastor categorically denied the allegations as baseless. Cantrell, who has been active in raising money for Israel as well as working on behalf of Soviet Jews, had resided in Israel on a special clergy visa during his work for Bridges for Peace, but then went back to a regular tourist visa, which needed to be renewed every three or six months, he said. … The issue underscored the delicate balancing act evangelical Christian supporters of Israel face….” See Persecution

July 2007

Banning Jihad Watch: “Many reported that the ban on Jihad Watch was explained with the assertion that Jihad Watch contained ‘hate speech.’ This was true even in some Federal Government offices. Jihad Watch was also blocked, readers informed me, on the computers of the State of Connecticut; the City of Chicago; Bank of America; Fidelity Investments; Site Coach; GE IT; JPMorgan Chase; Defense Finance and Accounting Services….

“If it were merely a matter of filtering out controversial material, sites that treat some of the same material from a different perspective — particularly pro-jihad sites — would also have been banned. But they evidently have not been. Jihad Watch is dedicated to the defense of human rights for all against those who would impose Islamic law, with its institutionalized discrimination against women and religious minorities. There is no ‘hatred’ in this, except when we report the words of hatred and supremacism of the Islamic jihadists…. The politicized nature of Internet censorship should surprise no one.” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny and the next link:

May 2007

Bible drawn into sex publication controversy: “More than 800 Hong Kong residents have called on authorities to reclassify the Bible as ‘indecent’ due to its sexual and violent content, following an uproar over a sex column in a university student journal. … .If the Bible is similarly classified as ‘indecent’ by authorities, only those over 18 could buy the holy book and it would need to be sealed in a wrapper with a statutory warning notice….'”

From an angry atheist:The Baptizing of America by James Rudin: “A specter is haunting America, and it is not socialism and certainly not communism. It is the specter of Americans kneeling in submission to a particular interpretation of a religion that has become an ideology, an all-encompassing way of life. It is the specter of our nation ruled by the extreme Christian right, who would make the United States a ‘Christian nation’ where their version of God’s law supersedes all human law—including the Constitution. That, more than any other force in the world today, is the immediate and profound threat to our republic.” SeeWhy “Hate crime” laws would ban Biblical Christianity

April 2007

Students punished for opposing ‘gay’ advocacy Dozens of 1st Amendment lawsuits being considered against administrators: “Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of students in several Sacramento area school districts are being penalized by school officials for objecting to the homosexual advocacy ‘Day of Silence.’… That is an event promoted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network organization, which advocates for the homosexual lifestyle and promotes educating children in that choice. During that event, students go around school during the day without speaking, and they hand out cards stating they are protesting the ‘discrimination’ against the homosexual lifestyle…. Snider said an estimated 3,000-4,000 Sacramento area students remained out of class to protest the GLSEN event…. ‘A lot of students were suspended…. Others were just kicked out [of school] and told to go home for the day. I’m not certain that is legal. You can’t just kick students out.'”

Another Cross in Limbo Awaiting Court Decision: “The monument, originally erected in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars to honor the ‘dead of all wars,’ features of a cross planted at the top of a hill in the Mojave National Preserve…. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California challenged the memorial, arguing that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which instructs Congress to ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'” [Notice how the ACLU turns that “freedom” upside down!] See The Old Rugged Cross

Whitewashing Jihad in the Schools: “Last month, New Jersey’s Burlington Township High School held its own mock terrorism drill. ‘You perform as you practice,’ Superintendent Chris Manno told the Burlington County Times. ‘We need to practice under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures and plans so that they’re as effective as possible.’ But the ‘real as possible’ conditions included no bomb-vest-donning jihadists shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’…

“Remember the jihad-sympathizing admonition included in the NEA’s touchy-feely, post-9/11 curriculum: ‘Do not suggest that any group is responsible’ for the terrorist attacks, parents and teachers were advised. But feel free to conjure up homeschooling ‘wackos’ and Christian ‘New Crusaders’ to avoid offending the Muslim lobby.

“Here is a ‘real as possible’ scenario. Last month, you’ll recall, counterterrorism officials sent cautionary bulletins to police departments nationwide warning that suspected members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the United States. The ‘extremists’ being investigated by the FBI and other agencies are foreigners who have been able to ‘purchase buses and acquire licenses.’ Who are these ‘extremists’? Hint: They are not Presbyterian or Lutheran or Catholic homeschooling wackos…..

“In Indonesia last month, a theological school was reportedly attacked by religious terrorists in Jakarta. The school was evangelical Christian. The terrorists were Muslim. In southern Thailand, attackers hurled explosives and opened fire on an Islamic school, killing three students…. And in the name of winning Iraqis over to their blood-stained cause this week, a suicide truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby…”

Hostage drill at NJ school features mock ‘Christian terrorists’: “…a recent hostage drill at a New Jersey high school, which portrayed conservative Christians as terrorists, is reflective of a dangerous philosophy that has become prevalent in many parts of America, where it is having negative effects on education. A local paper reports that a drill at Burlington Township High School in New Jersey involved police portraying mock gunmen, described as ‘members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the ‘New Crusaders’ who don’t believe in the separation of church and state.’ The fake gunmen were said to have been ‘seeking justice because the daughter of one [member] had been expelled for praying before class.'”

It’s amazing to see hostility of the world toward Jesus and His followers — and the readiness to attribute the brutality of militant Islam to Christianity! Yet, a very similar event happened a couple of years ago. See Homeland Security links Homeschoolers to Terrorists

Homeschooler flees state custody: “Melissa Busekros, the schoolgirl taken by police and placed in a psychiatric hospital because she was diagnosed with a ‘school phobia’ and was being homeschooled, has fled state custody to make a midnight trip back to her own family…. ‘At 3 a.m., in Erlangen, Germany, Melissa reached her home to the surprise of her entire family.” See Victory in Christ

Second family worried police may storm their home and carry off their children as they did to the Busekros family: “For over two months, 15 year-old homeschooled Melissa Busekros has been in the custody of Germany’s Jugendamt, an organization created by National Socialist (Nazi) chancellor Adolf Hitler in 1939 to supervise and control families politically after he banned homeschooling in 1938 as subversive to indoctrinating German youth in the Nazi ideology. The Jugendamt ordered Melissa to undergo psychiatric treatment for ‘school phobia,’ and has placed her in a foster home and location unknown to her parents who are allowed to see their daughter only once a week. …..

“‘The father was showing the videotape to the daughter when another worker within the room for the visit came over and slammed the computer shut, called the police, and had him escorted off the property,’ Joel Thornton…. ‘They’re only allowed 1 hour visit a week, and they ended this visit and made him leave. The father was trying to give Melissa some insight about what the world outside was saying…. He wanted her to see what was being said, but particularly what this youth officer was saying about her not wanting to go home, even though she basically requests to everyone she talks to that she wants to go home.’

“Thornton… was going to meet with 4 other homeschooling families in the Dresden area this weekend, and also with the Brause family, which lost legal custody of their children to the Jugendamt.”See Homeschooling Under Fire

March 2007

Melissa – HomeSchooled teen in Germany begs for help to go home to family: “‘I was taken away from my family on the first February 2007 and brought with more than 15 police men to the psychiatry in Nuremberg. There I was 2 weeks, I was brought there because I was homeschooled 2 ½ years. Now I am in a foster-family and I am allowed to see my parents only a week.’ Those visits… are held at a public building since she is being held against her will at a foster home the location of which is kept secret from her parents…. Melissa’s parents Hubert and Gundrun Busekros are… very thankful for the prayer support from all over the world. Although they are permitted to call her a couple of times a week, they have lost their custody rights.”SeeBrussels Journal Editor Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling

Uregent update and call for prayer support: “..the OLG appeals court in Germany upheld the decision of the lower court against the Busekros family. The court also held that Hubert and Gudrun must undergo psychiatric evaluation. The family, while willing to do this to see Melissa returned home, genuinely fears that all of this will be used against them to take their remaining children away from them. An additional fear is that Melissa will be returned to the psychiatric clinic system in Germany and ‘disappear.’ This would leave the family with no way to know where Melissa is or how she is doing. She could become a ward of the State and completely lost to her family.

“The pressure on this family, which has been incredible for the past month, has just increased to levels that are beyond imagination. Please pray for their peace and wisdom as they continue to fight to hold their family together in this hostile environment.” See Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling

Christian belief a ‘hate crime’ under plan: “…that plan would invert American justice, and instead of requiring evidence it would leave it to someone who claims to be offended to determine whether a ‘crime’ has been committed. ‘Truth is not allowed as evidence in hate crimes trials.’… A homosexual can claim emotional damage from hearing Scripture that describes his lifestyle as an abomination. He can press charges against the pastor or broadcaster who merely reads the Bible in public. The ‘hater’ can be fined thousands of dollars and even imprisoned!'” See The War on Hate Bans Christian Values

Warnings about Christians are what is intolerant: “…a Court of Appeal in Australia set aside a ruling of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and ordered a retrial in the case of two Christian pastors. The VCAT had ruled that Daniel Scot and Daniel Nalliah’s statements critical of Islam were likely to incite hatred….

“…the highest court in Saskatchewan province ruled that Hugh Owens would not, after all, have to pay $1,500 Canadian to three men offended by his newspaper ad citing Bible verses against sodomy. And in the U.K…. 74-year-old Edward Atkinson was sent to jail for sending graphicpictures of aborted fetuses to a hospital….

“There was better news for free speech in the United States in 2006. The same month as Atkinson was sentenced to jail (and, for good measure, taken off the National Health Service hip replacement waiting list — [a foretaste of the planned global community where food and health care would be tied to compliance with PC attitudinal guidelines]), a federal district court judge in Pennsylvania… upheld the right of Pastor Jim Grove to speak against homosexuality to participants arriving at a PrideFest in Harrisburg.

“And a whole crop of religious-liberty cases around Christmas—the school bus driver on Long Island forbidden to wear a Santa Claus hat, the Seattle airport authority that responded to a rabbi’s request for a menorah by taking down their Christmas trees, the first-grader told he couldn’t sing a Christmas song at show-and-tell—seem to have been resolved in favor of free speech and religious liberty by public outcry…. It doesn’t seem like it’s Christians who are ‘intolerant of criticism,’ does it?…

“Christianity played a crucial role in the establishment of the civil liberties we enjoy. And Christians are on the front lines defending those liberties today.” See Ban Truth – Reap Tyranny

“Wolfson found the school board’s decision to exclude ‘Awesome God,’ despite the contest’s general tolerance for songs with religious themes, constituted viewpoint discrimination. As for the board’s argument that it was the song’s proselytizing nature that made it objectionable, Wolfson found that the contest rules did not disqualify songs with messages exhorting the audience to action. … Lastly, Wolfson found that the board’s viewpoint discrimination could not be justified by the Establishment Clause.” See Don’t mention Jesus

November 2006

Casey Ran as ‘Pro-Life…Seeks “Sexual Orientation” Hate Crime Law: “Within 24 hours of winning the bitter Pennsylvanian Senate race against incumbent Republican Rick Santorum, Democrat Senator-elect Bob Casey, Jr. let his real agendas show through. … Casey was immediately and unabashedly backed in his election bid by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a pro-gay activist group…. Casey thanked HRC the day after the election saying, ‘HRC got behind my campaign early and has been a tremendous help. I look forward to working with HRC’s incredible staff and membership, especially toadvance hate-crimes legislation in the Senate.’…

“Adding sexual orientation verbage to hate-crime legislation is a threat to the First Amendment rights of all Americans who oppose homosexuality. Gramley said, ‘…we know what hate-crimes legislation that includes ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ can mean to Christians. In 2004 we witnessed 11 Christians being arrested and charged with a hate crime for simply reading Scripture and singing choruses at a homosexual event.'” See The Mainstream Media – Forging a New Global Consciousness

Company policies vary on the right to wear a crucifix: “As the furor continued over [British Airline]’s decision to ban a Heathrow worker from wearing a crucifix other firms supported the company’s stand…. Many firms cited health and safety regulations as their reason for not allowing crosses to be worn. However, Sikh bangles were often permitted….

“Meanwhile, the airline is developing a Muslim uniform for its staff. ‘Two ground staff at Heathrow wanted to pursue their religion and we would support that,’ he said.”

If this sounds irrational and unfair, remember the reason. SeePersecution

October 2006

Bible-Reading Student Gets Lesson in Litigation: “Amber Mangum was a frequent reader during lunch breaks at her Prince George’s County middle school, silently soaking up the adventures of Harry Potter and other tales in the spare minutes before afternoon classes. The habit was never viewed as a problem… until the book she was reading was the Bible. A vice principal at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel last month ordered Amber, then 12, to stop reading the Bible or face punishment.” See Don’t mention Jesus

‘Radical homosexuals’ want to coerce compliance: “A decision by the city of Berkeley, Calif., to deprive the Sea Scouts of a traditional benefit because their parent organization holds a religious belief that does not allow homosexuals or atheists in positions of leadership is being challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court.” See Ban truth – Reap Tyranny

September 2006

Ministry backs down on school prayer: “Opponents of the New Zealand Education Ministry’s controversial new guidelines on religion and prayer in schools are relieved that the ministry has decided not to push ahead with them. Under the guidelines, it was suggested that schools should give advance notice of assemblies featuring prayers and hymns and seek written consent from parents who wanted their children to take part in voluntary religious activities. See Ban truth – Reap Tyranny

Chaplain convicted of saying prayers ‘in Jesus’ name’: “A military jury today convicted a Navy chaplain of a misdemeanor count of disobeying his commanding officer for wearing his uniform while delivering a prayer ‘in Jesus’ name’ at an assembly in front of the White House.

“‘But I had prior written permission to wear my uniform if it was a religious observance….” Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt told WND…. Klingenschmitt, who raised immediate concerns with this superiors when the Navy issued a new order that prayers could only be ‘non-sectarian,’ also has alleged he was punished for raising those concerns, and later notifying Congress and President Bush of the situation….” See No Rights for Resisters

June 2006

Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Cross: “…the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on June 21, 2006, that the majestic 30-foot cross atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego must be removed by August 1, or the city will face $5,000 per day fines…. The attorney fighting to remove the cross is James McElroy, a Planned Parenthood attorney who spent over a decade suing pro-lifers…. ‘Our nation’s landmarks that give assent to our Christian Heritage are rapidly facing extinction,’ said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who grew up not far from the historic cross.” SeeBan truth – Reap Tyranny

Banned: “Schoolgirls are forced to take off chastity rings – or be ordered out of lessons…. It is only a band of silver, imprinted with a Bible verse, worn by a schoolgirl. But the decision by one of the country’s top state schools to ban American-style ‘purity rings’ – increasingly worn by Christian teenagers to symbolise a pledge not to have sex before marriage – has prompted not just a standoff with local parents, but a debate over religious expression and sex education….’

“There are Muslim girls in the school who are allowed to wear the headcovering, although that isn’t part of the school uniform, and Sikh girls who are allowed the wear the bangle although that isn’t part of the uniform. It’s a discriminatory policy….”

Facing the Giants: “…a low-budget movie about a burned-out and depressed football coach whose life takes a miraculous turn for the better. What makes the difference? Faith in Jesus Christ. But that encounter with God was enough for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to give the movie… a PG rating…. This movie, which Hollywood thinks is ‘heavily laden with messages from one religion,’ apparently had to be red-flagged….

“MPAA did not red flag Prince of Egypt or The Lion King, despite their obvious spiritual elements. So is it religion or Christianity that made the otherwise squeaky clean Facing the Giants a PG movie? There was a time in our country when faith in Christ was seen as a source of strength, not a threat to children.” See The Rising World Religion

May 2006

Churches work on conversion plan: “The Vatican and the world’s largest alliance of Christian churches plan to seek a common code for religious conversions…. Religious freedom and missionary outreach by Christian groups have become increasingly sensitive topics as many Muslims perceive their faith as under threat by the West and nations such as China struggle to maintain state controls on churches.

“‘How can we – anxious to maintain, develop and nurture good relations with people of other faiths – deal with this highly complex issue that sometimes threatens the fiber of living together?’ said the Rev. Hans Ucko, head of the interreligious relations office for the World Council of Churches. … Members of other faiths, including Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims, also plan to attend the meeting….

“The biggest challenges to the project will be highlighted by who will be absent: Pentecostal and evangelical-style congregations that often lead the drive for conversions…. The details of the conversion code will take shape in the coming years, said Ucko, but it will explore ‘the dos and don’ts’ of trying to spread Christianity among other faiths. … Critics claim the laws will be used totarget Christian missionaries, who are often the target of denunciations from Hindu nationalists.” See the next link:

repeatU.N. religious summit speakers decry efforts at conversion: “The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders [2000 AD] failed to accomplish one of its main objectives in four days of meetings but evidenced widespread opposition to efforts at religious conversion. The summit, held partly at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York, was attended by about 800 religious leaders and 1,000 observers from nearly 100 countries.

“…pronouncements were voiced by speakers from different religious traditions against attempts to convert people to other religions, and they met with strong affirmation…. Evangelicals especially would be targets for such sentiments, since they have sent missionaries throughout the world to proclaim the message of salvation exclusively by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

“On numerous occasions, there were ‘very negative comments regarding proselytization,’ said Ken Welborn of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. Such declarations were met by ‘vigorous applause,’ said Richard Cizik…. ‘That view was held by most of those at the conference…. What I think was also unfortunate was that the representatives of Christianity were joining that same call to denounce proselytizing, in particular Joan Brown Campbell [former general secretary of the National Council of Churches].”See Persecution

April 2006

Ohio St. Drops Harassment Charges Against Conservative Librarian: “The librarian, a devout Quaker, had been under investigation by the school forsuggesting that freshmen students read conservative books. Three professors — two of whom are openly homosexual — objected to the librarian’s suggestions, particularly Kupelian’s book, which they described as ‘hate literature’ and ‘homophobic tripe’ that ‘threatened’ them and made them feel ‘unsafe’ on campus.

“After a faculty vote supporting the professors’ allegations, the school put Savage under investigation for sexual harassment. Librarian Scott Savage serves on a committee designed to pick books for incoming OSU students…. While other committee members suggested a series of liberal books, Savage recommended that some conservative books be added to the list….”SeeRe-inventing the World

Texas School District Caves to Parents’ Call to Shut Down Bible Club: “‘…what we have here is a district that is doing everything in its power to discriminate against these kids…’ According to the Liberty Legal spokesman, the district does not impose fees and rental agreements on other student clubs. But because Students Standing Strong is a religious group, he says, the district is ‘just hunting and looking for some way to throw hurdles in their way.’…

“‘The small group of parents is complaining because this group is so successful and it’s a Christian group,’ he explains. ‘And they’re asking the school district to stop them, which is against the law.’ But instead of standing up to the parents and explaining that the district does not discriminate against any clubs, Christian or not…[the district] is ‘going along and trying to figure out ways to discriminate.’“

Evangelical teens rally in S.F.: “More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against ‘the virtue terrorism’ of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a ‘fascist mega-pep rally.’ …”

“Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, ‘they’re loud, they’re obnoxious, they’re disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco.'”

What would happen if a Christian leader made a similar public statement about the annual lewd and loud “Gay Rights” demonstrations?

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Targeted in ‘Crackdown on Deceit’: “… the new bill would direct the FTC to ‘create rules that prohibit any organization from advertising services with the intent to deceive the public into believing that the organization is a provider of abortion services if it does not, in fact, provide abortion services.'”SeeBan truth – Reap Tyranny

March 2006

Grandmother Gets Help Asserting Preschooler’s Right to Share His Faith: “Thanks to the efforts of a persistent grandmother and advice from a pro-family legal group, a four-year-old student at a Head Start program in one Oregon city can now talk about his faith with classmates. An instructor had initially muzzled the youngster’s religious speech at school. … [AFA lawyer, Steve Crampton] noted, ‘The school is wrong. As the United States Supreme Court has observed, ‘[t]here is a crucial difference between government speech endorsing religion, which the Establishment Clause forbids, and private speech endorsing religion,’ which the Constitution’s free Speech and free exercise clauses protect.” SeeDon’t Mention Jesus

February 2006

Intern fired for sharing faith: “A straight-A student, Escobar was complimented regularly by the DCFS for her work. But she came under scrutiny for sharing her faith with co-workers during lunch breaks and after-hours, and for changing into a shirt with a religious message – ‘Found’ – after signing out for the day…. Escobar was directed to stop sharing her faith, even during breaks and after work hours. Also, the university ordered her to sign a document admitting she had ‘an inability to separate her religious beliefs from her role’ as an intern. She refused to sign the document, arguing she couldn’t agree to such a sweeping prohibition that included her religious practice during non-working hours.”

Christian Group Kicked Off UK Campus over ‘PC’ Demands: “A Christian faith group at a major university in England has been thrown off campus for refusing to open up its membership to all faiths and beliefs…. Although the group, which has 100-plus members, says all students are welcome to attend meetings, it insists that it is well within its rights to restrict membership to people who profess faith in Jesus Christ.

“The union also objected to demands to remove the words ‘men’ and ‘women’ from its charter in order not to offend transsexuals….

“Birmingham University currently had 13 faith-based student societies, five of them Christian. (The five are Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Adventist and a social justice group called Fusion.) No other group had a problem making the changes.” Conform to Truth, not to the world!

December 2005

Letter to The President of the United States… from Chaplain Klingenschmitt: “…74 Congressmen, 4 Senators, 65 chaplains citing religious discrimination, and over 160,000 Americans have asked you to sign an Executive Order, not to establish a new law, but to enforce the law upheld since 1860….
“…I face sudden termination (without retirement), and my family faces eviction from military housing… because I dared to pray publicly in Jesus name…

“The Navy calls this Pluralism but lately its become government-enforced religious conformity to one civic religion that punishes religious diversity, and denies equal opportunity to all faiths….
“Mr. President, all our service-members (and especially our chaplains) make extraordinary sacrifices to grant religious liberty to foreigners overseas. Shall we now deny the same basic religious freedom to Americans in uniform?”See He Paid The Price

European Union lowercases ‘Christ’: “A new grammar rule devised by the European Union in Brussels stipulates the word ‘Christ’ shall be spelled with a lowercase ‘c.’…. [T]he new guidelines also indicate the Dutch word for ‘Jews’ (Joden) is to be spelled with a capital ‘J’ when referring to nationality and with a lower-case ‘j’ when referring to the religion. … [T]he title of Javier Solana, secretary general of the EU, was still to be spelled with capital letters.” SeeBan truth – Reap Tyranny

October 2005

These Courses Are Condemnedlighter-than-air classes from public schools…. A proposed English class, ‘Christian Morality in American Literature,’ included readings from Mark Twain, Stephen Crane and Nathaniel Hawthorne, but it was judged unworthy because, according to the university, it ‘does not offer a non-biased approach to the subject matter.’

“So what does a nonbiased class look like? The university has deemed acceptable such public-school courses as ‘Feminine Perspectives in Literature’…. A history course, ‘Christianity’s Influence on America,’ was rejected by the university because its focus was ‘too narrow’…. But… the course seems downright all-encompassing when compared with approved classes at other schools, like ‘Modern Irish History’.” SeeEstablishing a Global Spirituality

Churches Protest Proposed Religious Law in Romania: “Romanian religious minorities are concerned that a draft law that their government intends to pass before the end of the year will give too much undefined power to the state over religious affairs in the country. They are also concerned that the proposed law will give too many privileges to eighteen state-recognized ‘religious denominations,’ while some smaller groups would be unable to even call themselves ‘churches.'”

September 2005

College bars Christian from sharing faith: “Officials at Ulster County Community College in Stone Ridge, N.Y., told Greg Davis of Indian Lake, N.Y., that he needed to file a facilities use permit application to speak about his faith with students in a public, grassy area on campus in October 2003. But when he did so, his application was denied because the school claimed his desired religious expression does not constitute a ‘cultural, educational, social or recreational’ activity….

“The Constitution does not say that speech is only free if it meets certain arbitrary categories developed by public officials,’ said Kellum.”

Liberal Media Lashes Out at Christians: “The culture wars have turned nastier than ever. And if conservative Christians are offended by being called insane, stupid, sinister — or even the next incarnation of fascist storm troopers — they’d better get used to it….

“Also in Harper’s was ‘Feeling the Hate with the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB),’ an article by Chris Hedges…. Hedges wrote: ‘But fascism… would not return wearing swastikas and brown shirts. Its ideological inheritors would cloak themselves in the language of the Bible; they would come carrying crosses and chanting the Pledge of Allegiance.’…

“Bill Maher… seems to have a deeply-rooted disdain for religious folk in general. On MSNBC’s Scarborough Country, he told host Joe Scarborough: ‘I think religion is a neurological disorder.'”

Media mind control in the war on terror: “Why is it that when we try to send a package to Iraq or Afghanistan to our troops we are asked by our post office if there are any religious materials inside (specifically any Bibles)? Our own government won’t let us send Bibles to our kids because it might offend some local in a country that we just paid for in our own sweat and blood. The media has never addressed this issue, but if someone claims that some form of disrespect happened to Quarans (issued by our government, by the way) in Guantanamo Bay, then it is on the news for days—and echoed by the liberals in congress for weeks.” SeeBrainwashing in America

Anti-Christian Discimination is Wrong: “Allstate Insurance… fired Christian conservative J. Matt Barber–‘because an outside organization had complained about an article he had written on his own time.'”Next link leads to his article:

June 2005

How the most misquoted Bible verse is destroying America: “How many times have you heard someone say, ‘Judge not lest you be judged’? The statement has become the great American open-mindedness mantra when anyone has the courage to declare that someone else’s belief, actions or lifestyle is morally amiss….

“When Jesus condemned judging, he wasn’t at all implying we should never make judgments about anyone.… What Jesus condemns is a critical and judgmental spirit, an unholy sense of superiority. Jesus commanded us to examine ourselves first for the problems we so easily see in others. Only then can we help remove the speck in another’s eye—which, incidentally, assumes that a problem exists and must be confronted.” See When to judge or not to judge

Prohibition of Bible Reading at Recess Results in Lawsuit: “A Tennessee elementary school is being sued for barring a ten-year-old boy from reading his Bible during recess. … The young student was recently prohibited from reading his Bible with a few friends on the playground at Karns Elementary School in Knoxville. The school claims recess is not ‘free time,’ but in fact instructional time — and thus, the Bible reading during recess violates the so-called separation of church and state. …

“‘He was under the impression that they were telling him there he was something wrong with his Christian faith — that there was something wrong with him reading his Bible,’ Pope explains. ‘He was, in fact, treated like a second-class citizen.'”John 15:20-21

May 2005

The Zero Tolerance for God POLICE Surfaces Again: “Against the First Amendment of our Constitution and all logic, a Knox County School District’s Elementary principal reportedly corralled a 10 year old student and banned him from reading his Bible during recess when he and his friends invested their free time in studying the tenets of their faith…..

“In the never ending striving for political correctness sandwiched between slices of misinformation, a great injustice was done.

‘“The first amendment establishes freedom from religious persecution regardless of age,’ explained Mr. Laursen. ‘As an agent of the government this principal over-stepped his authority when he ordered his charge not to read the Bible during his free time just because a parent believed it inappropriate.” See Zero Tolerance For Non-Compliance

March 2005

‘Mein Kampf’ becomes bestseller in Turkey: “Eighty years after Adolf Hitler published his autobiographical manifesto, ‘Mein Kampf,’ the book that launched European Nazism, is climbing the best-seller charts in Muslim Turkey. …While most Turkish publishers of ‘Mein Kampf’ say they are merely pursuing the profit motive, others admit that anti-Semitic and anti-American feelings are fueling demand.”SeeWhen Iron Gates Yield

Will Religion Be the Death of Us?(Spoken by Glen Hiemstra, the founder of Futurist.com and a leading facilitator and speaker on Vision 2025, a worldwide movement for social change) “The past two years have featured what seems to be a dramatic increase in religious fanaticism. Recent events have highlighted this trend, including a bitter fights in the U.S. over a statue of the ten commandments in a public court house placed there by a judge and removed by the order of other judges…. Religious extremism is as old as religions, but what makes this new religiously inspired extremism so dangerous is the amplifying effects of modern weapons, communications and travel.” SeeConsensus, Change & Community&Re-Inventing the Church

Colorado to dump Christian prof: “While University of Colorado officials defend controversial professor Ward Churchill in the name of free speech, an evangelical Christian professor at the school claims he’s about to be dismissed for religious or political reasons. Professor Phil Mitchell, who has a doctorate in American social history from the university, says he recently was informed his contract would not be renewed after this year….

“Mitchell, winner in 1998 of the prestigious SOAR Award for teacher of the year… was berated as a racist. ‘That would have come as a surprise to my black children,’ said Mitchell, who has nine children, two of them adopted African-Americans.” Matthew 24:9

February 2005

Christians have neurological disorder: “Television personality Bill Maher… says Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that ‘stops people from thinking.’ …’We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder. If you look at it logically, it’s something that was drilled into your head when you were a small child. It certainly was drilled into mine at that age. And you really can’t be responsible when you are a kid for what adults put into your head.”

“The former host of ‘Politically Incorrect’ said the lack of enlightenment of so many Americans means the nation actually has more in common with its enemies than one might think. Said Maher: ‘When you look at beliefs in such things as, do you go to heaven, is there a devil, we have more in common with Turkey and Iran and Syria than we do with European nations and Canada and nations that, yes, I would consider more enlightened than us…. The future does not belong to the evangelicals.” Actually, it does.SeeEternity

“On Memorial Day 2004, Steele was in the middle of preaching a sermon series he called ‘Life Issues’ dealing with controversial cultural issues from a biblical perspective. One such sermon was about abortion….

“As a pastor I believe that as Christians we are called to speak the truth no matter what…. And we have to continue to speak that truth in love to all people and to share the message of Christ because it’s the only message that’s going to change the lives of people.” Called to Total Commitment